Car coupler



Dec. 11, 192s.

w. J. REGAN ET A1.

CAR COUPLBR Filed May 28, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet Dec. l1, 1928.

-' W. J. REGAN ET AL CAR COUPLER Filed may 2a. 1927 s sheets-shea 3 Vio Patented Dec. 11, 1928.

UNITED STATES neaaoze PAreNrorF-Ics. g.

*WILLIAM J. REGAN AND WILLAM KELSO, OF PTTSBURGH, ENNSYLVANIA, .AS-

VANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIAL can coUrLnR.

tion is positively'eected,wherein an 'ample v throw of the knuckle openingllever is produced in a coupler of restricted vertical 5dimensions, and in which thecoupler lock affords a large bearing area for the tail of the rotatable knuckle. f

y A principal Jfeature of thek invention con- .sists in providing means whereby the lock ment withthe knuckle opener lever is positively tilted so as to assume a position `per-VV mitting it to be supported in unlocked position Von* the tail of the knuckle while the latter is closed.

Another feature of the invention, genen,`

ally stated,-consists in providing the knuckle opener lever and thelock for the knuckle with cooperating parts wherebythe lock is tilted from its normal position the act of operating` the knuckle opener.

A further feature oit the invention vconsists in forming the locking block on the side adjacent the knuckle with a recess or indentation for receiving the shorter arm oi the knuckle opening lever when the lock performs an extendedunlocking movement.

Other features of the invention, relating to advantageous forms and combinations of parts, will hereinafter appear andbe'pointed ont in the claims. Y

In the dr'awingsff l Figure 1 is a plan view of a preferred embodiment of the invention, aportion oi the coupler head being broken away to disclose the interior mechanism v Figure 2 is a view., partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section, of the coupler, the parts being shown in normal locked relation and assembled for use with a release rigging arranged beneath the coupler.y

Figure 3 yis a front elevational view of the. coupler, the parts being in locked relation.

Application filed May 28,

1927. Serial No. 194,984.

Figure 5 is a detail view corresponding to Fig. 4 but illustrating the relation ofthe lifter to the lock after the lifter has performed its initialunlocking movement.

srenons To rrrn MecoNwAY a Tonner ccMrAnY, or rrrrsBUnGi-nrnnnsYL-z FigurefG is a detail view,partlyV lsection and partly in elevation, showingthe lock-H ing block raised sufficiently to permit itto tilt so.. as to be supported in lock-set position cnthe tail ot the knuckle. Figure 7 is aV view corresponding to` 6 but showing the locking block tilted sov as to position its lock-setlegf over the lock-set Aseat of the knuckle. i f

' )FigureS isa detail view, partlyfin'sectionl i h' Figure 9 is av detail view, partly in eleva.- tionand partly in vertical section, illustrat- .and partly in elevation, showing the locking blocky raised to its eXtreme height to eii'ect yan uncoupling` rotation .of` the knuckle. ,n

for the knuckle upon coming into engageingthe relation of the locking block and i knuckle opener when these'partsfirst come in contact. Y

rkFigure 10 is a perspectiveview of the locking block.r 5 n In the drawings, l is the coupler head. 2

listhe'knuckle, and 3 is the knuckle pinby which the knuckle is rotatably mounted upon the coupler head in a well known manner.

In theformof the device illustrated in the drawings, the stem or shank 4, which forms a part ofl they coupler body; Y, is integrally united to the coupler head. A. 1

Mounted within the coupler lhead is slidable locking block 5 g which assumes locked position under theinluence of .gravity. The lock 5 is vertically movable within the head and normally extends into the path of movement of thetail of the knuckle so as to lock saidl knuckle in coupled posi-l tion.

Thel'ock is moved to unlocked position by means of a lifter with which it is slidably and rotatably associated. s In the present instance the lifter 6'is of the bottomI operatingtype extending downwardly through [an opening in the coupler head land pivotally lconnected at its lower end to a suitable operatingflever 7 which may advantageously be formed as abell crank pivotedto the guard'y arm side of the coupler head' at 8,v In order.l to form the sliding and pivotal connection of the lifter 6v and'lock 5, it isV preferred-to vprovide thev upperfend ofthe lifter with oppositely, disposed trunnions 9Y`which" pro-l ject into trunnion guideways 10 of the locking block, the latter being fashioned with an upwardly and rearwardly opening slot 11 for receiving the lifter.

`The lifter 6 cooperates with the coupler head to prevent the locking block 5 from accidentally moving to unlocked position when the coupler is in service. For the purpose of performing this function the rear side of the lock lifter is formed with an upwardly facing inclined shoulder 12 which is adapted to extend under a cooperating lock-down shoulder or lug 13 of the coupler head when the locking block is in locked position. As will be apparent from Figs. 2 and f1, if the lock 5 should accidentally be jarred upward toward unlocked osition the lifter 6 will be drawn upwardly )y the lock until its shoulder 12 engages the stop shoulder 13 of the coupler head, thus arresting the accidental unlocking movement of the lock. lVhen the lock lifter is actuated by the uncoupling lever 7 to effect an unlocking movement of the lock, the lifter first moves vertically with respect to the lock 5 until its inclined shoulder 12 engages the cooperating shoulder 1B of the cou ler head. After the inclined faces 12 an 13 have thus been brought into cont-act, continued upward pressure upon the lifter forces its upper end to be retracted into the lock, thus causing the shoulder 12 of the lifter to escape from beneath the lockdown lug 13 and thereby, as shown in Fig. 5, releasing the lock so that it may execute an unlocking movement. To cause the lifter 6 to move vertically during its initial unlocki movement, said lifter is preferably provi ed with a vertically extending face 14 which engages the adjacent vertical face of the lock 5 when the parts are in locked relation; and saidlifter is also preferably fashioned with a rearwardly facing vertical surface 15 adapted to bear against the forward face 16 of the lock down lug 13. By respectively cooperating with the lockingr bloei' and the coupler head these faces 14 and 15 of the lifter constrain the lifter to move vertically until the shoulders 12 and 13 come into operative contact. For a similar purpose it is also preferred to provide the lower faces of the trunnion guides of the locking block with vertically extending shoulders 17 which cooperate with the respectively adjacent trunnions 9. In addition to guiding the lifter vertically duringr its initial unlocking operation, the vertical faces or shoulders 14 and 1o serve to prevent the lifter from accidentally rotatingin a direction which would cause its locking shoulder 12 to swing or move from beneath the cooperating lock-down shoulder 18 when the coupler is in service.

After the lifter has been guided into the lock so as to assume the position shown in Fig. 5, its further upward movement raises the locking block to unlocked position as shown in Figs. G and 7 or, if the unlocking movement is extended, then to the position shown in Fig. S which corresponds to the final position of the parts when the knuckle has been rotated to open position by means ofthe knuckle opener lever. To enable the lock 5 to be supported in leek-set position so to crinit the knuckle to open, the locking bloc is formed with a downwardly projecting lock-set leg 18 whose lower end is adapted to rest upon a lock-set ledge or seat 19 on t-he upper surface of the tail of the knuckle 2. The ledge 19 extends part way along the rear edge of the tail of the knuckle and gradually narrows, so that as the knuckle 2 performs an uncoupling rotation the lockset projection 18 rides ofi' the knuckle, thus allowing the lock to drop until the under surface of its knuckle locking portion rests upon the upper surface of the knuckle tail. lVhen the knuckle subsequently rotates inwardly to coupled position its tail passes from beneath the locking block 5 and the latter then drops to locked position.

In assuming lock-set position the locking block 5 tilts forwardly. lVhile the upper ends of the trunnion guideways 10 are located above and in advance of the center of gravity of the lock 5 so that its weight acts `to induce the tilting movement, means are provided whereby such tilting movement is positively effected. To this end the short arm 2O of the knuckle opener 21 is formed with a rearwardly projecting lug or exten` sion 22 with which the locking block engages when the latter (see Fig. 6) has been raised high enough for yits lock-set leg 18 to clear the lock-set seat 19 of the knuckle tail. To cooperate with the extension 22 of the knuckle opener the upper end of the locking'block 5 is formed adjacent the tail of the knuckle with a forwardly and downwardly inclined surface or shoulder 23. there car condi-` tions make it necessary to limit the vertical height of the coupler this sloping surface 23 is, as shown, preferably located below the top of the locking block. As shown in'Fig. 6, the extreme rearward end of the projection 22 of the knuckle opener contacts the inclined surface 23 on the locking block at a point to the rear of the center of the lifter trunnions 9, and continued upward movement of the lifter therefore results in positively tilt-ing the locking block to lock-set position, as shown in Fig. 7. To permit the lock 5 to tilt to lock-sctposition after having been sufficiently raised, the upper portion 24 of the rear face ofthe lock is beveled or inclined, and for a similar purpose the lower portion of the forward face of the lock is inclined as at 25. As the lockset leg 18 projects laterally from the body of the locking block and overlaps the inner end of the `tail of the knuckle 2 when the parts are in locked relation, it serves to prevent the lock fromv tilting forwardly until after the lock 5 has assumed a position per.- mittingthe knuckle to open.

The tilting of thelock 5 during` its unlocking movement causes the knuckle openerl actuating shoulder 26 thereof to engage the shorter arm 20 of the knuckle opener, as shown in Figs. .7 and 8. As the rearward extension 22 of the knuckle opener is at that time in contact with the inclined surface 23 of the lock at a point to the rear of the lifter trunnions 9,*and as the shoulder 26 of the locking block is in advance of said trunnions. the contact points of the` locking blockwith the knuckle opener are established on opposite sides vof the center-of the lifter trunnions 9, thereby causingthe lock vto be maintained in a tilted-position during the extended unlocking movement necessary to effect a knuckle lthrowing rotation of the knuckle opener upon its pivot pin 27. This tilting of the locking Lblock is effective in causing van extended rotation of they knuckle opener without undue vertical movement of the lock. Instead of forming the .knuckle opener actuating shoulder` 26 as the upper surface of a lug or. projection carried by the locking block, it 1s advantageous to form it as the base of a recess 28 withv which the-locking block 5 is provided on the forward side adjacent the Vtail 4of the knuckle. This recess receives the short arm 20 of the knuckle opener when the lock is in tilted position.. By this means ample bearing area between the lock and the tail of the knuckle is secured in a coupler of very limited vertical dimension.

The pivot pin 27 forpthe knuckle opener may advantageouslybe cast in place in the coupler head l; and the pivot pin 3 of the movable knuckle is preferably removable downwardly, havingl a head at its lower end and being supported in assembled position by means of a sustaining pin 29 passing through suitableperforated lugs with which the coupler may be provided on its under side.

Ve claim l. A car coupler involving a coupler head, a knuckle pivotally ymounted on the head, a gravity actuated lockfor the knuckle,- anda lifterfor operating said lock, said lock and lifter being adapted 'to have relative sliding and swinging movements, said head having a shoulder for cooperating withA the lifter toprevent accidental unlocking of the lock, said lifter being formed with va shoulder adapted to engage the shoulder of the coupler head, one of saidvshoulders eX- tending at an angle to the direction of unlocking movement of the lock, said shoulders movement ofthe lifter to cooperate soy as `to force the shoulder upon said lifter .fromV beneath said shoulderl of the coupler head,

and said'lock when` moved tounlocked position by the lifter being -adaptedto be tilted' upon said lifter so as to be supported in un- `l locked position on the tail of said knuckle while the latter is in closed position.

2. A car coupler involving` a coupler head, i

a knuckle rotatably'mounted on the head, a lock for the knuckle, a rotatable knuckle opener lever for moving the knuckle to open fposition, and a lifter for actuating the lock,

said lifter being slidably and rotatably'connected to said lock, said lock being adapted to move into engagement with Said knuckle opener Ylever and to be therebyl forced to ro-l tate with respect to. said lifter so as to assume tilted position permitting it to be supported in unlocked position on the tail opener lever. adapted to be actuated by the `lock Yto force the knuckle to open position,

and a lifter for actuating the lock, said lock being movable with respect to said lifter and being adapted to be tilted by engaging said knuckle opener and to actuate the knuckle opener when in the tilted position. 4. A car coupler involving a coupler head,

a knuckle rotatably mounted on the head,A

a rotatable knuckle opener lever for moving the knuckle to open position, a lock for theA knuckle adapted to actuate said lever, and means for causing the lock to perform an unlocking movement, said knuckle opener lever being provided with a rearwardly eX- tending portion adapted to cooperate with said lock to cause the latter to assume a tilted position permitting it to be supported in unlocked position while said knuckle is closed.

5. A car coupler involving a coupler head,

a knuckle rotatably mounted on the head, a lock for the knuckle, a rotatable knuckle opener lever for forcing the knuckle to open osition and means for causing the lock to perform an unlocking movement, said knuckle opener lever having' an arm adapted to be engaged by the lock and being provided with a projection ,extending rearwardly from said arm, and saidlock being formed with a recess adapted to receive said arm and having an inclined face adapted to engage said projection, said lock Vwhen in unlocked position being adapted to assume f a tilted position permitting it to be supportedin unlocked v knuckle is closed.

6. A car coupler involving; a coupler head, Y l a knuckle rotatably mounted on the head, a Y being adapted upon a normal unlocking lockV for the knuckle, la rotatable knuckle position Vwhile the" opener lever adapted to be actuated by the points on opposite sides of the axis of said lock to force the knuckle to open position, trunnions. endalifter for actuating the look, said lifter In testimony whereof `We affix our sig- 10 being provided with trunnions upon which natures.

5 the lock is adapted to rotate, and said lock when rota-ted on Said trunnons being W'ILLIAM J. REGAN. adapted to Contact said knuckle opener at f WILLIAM KELSO. 

